Harp

19th century

Mangbetu, African

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About the Artwork

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Markings

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Provenance

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisonné

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Credit Line for Reproduction

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About the Artwork

The magnificent realm of King Munza of the Mangbetu empire was described by a German explorer in the 1870s. In the explorer's sketches, King Munza is shown dancing before his many wives in a huge vaulted room. Perhaps this rare harp was one of the instruments used to accompany the king in such lavish functions, for the Zande made such harps to be used by court minstrels. Strings would have been attached from the sounding board to the side of the elegant female figure.

Title Harp

Artwork Date 19th century

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. African

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Mangbetu

Medium Wood, hide, metal and beads

Dimensions Overall: 21 1/4 × 17 5/8 × 7 3/4 inches (54 × 44.8 × 19.7 cm)

Classification Musical Instruments

Department African Art

Credit Founders Society Purchase, Henry Ford II Fund, Benson and Edith Ford Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 82.29

Markings

Inscriptions ------

Provenance

Jeanpierre Jernander (Brussels, Belgium). (Alan Brandt, Inc., New York, New York, USA)

1982-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Published References

African Masterworks In The Detroit Institute of Arts. Washington and London: The Detroit Institute of Arts and Smithsonian Institution Press, 1995, cat. no. 47.

Bulletin of the DIA 61, no. 3 (1982/83): p. 35 (ill.).

100 Masterworks from the Detroit Institute of Arts. Hudson Hills Press, Inc., New York, 1985, p. 72, p. 73 (ill.).

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Mangbetu, African, Harp, 19th century, wood, hide, metal and beads. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Henry Ford II Fund, Benson and Edith Ford Fund, 82.29.